Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Engine and engine cooling35
- Exterior lighting32
- Structure16
- Service brakes, hydraulic15
- Latches/locks/linkages15
- Steering14
- Fuel system, gasoline12
- Electrical system11
- Visibility10
- Power train10
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 13 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette failed the safety check 1.92% of the time — 12% more often than the average 1998 passenger car (1.71%). Median odometer at inspection: 148,919 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 1 variant: combined 13.7 L/100 km (about 17 mpg US), CO₂ 315 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silhouette · Minivan · Regular gasoline | 15.4 | 11.7 | 13.7 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
8 Transport Canada recalls for the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette.
| 2004446 22 Dec 2004 | Other On certain vehicles equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and power sliding door on the passenger side, if a passenger uses the interior han… |
| 2002199 5 Nov 2002 | Steering On certain vehicles, the lower pinion bearings retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These and some other retainers used in vehicles assembled between Janua… |
| 2001236 24 Sept 2001 | Other Certain 1997-2001 Chevrolet Venture, Pontiac Montana/ Trans Sport, and Oldsmobile Silhouette mini vans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors that wer… |
| 2001059 9 Mar 2001 | Structure Certain vehicles may exhibit a condition in which the power sliding door closes, but is not latched, If this happens the power sliding door can open while the v… |
| 2000080 21 Mar 2000 | Accessories On certain vehicles operated in areas of high salt use, the spare tire hoist cable may corrode and eventually break. This would allow the spare tire to fall of… |
| 1998152 22 Jul 1998 | Seats And Restraints NOTE: VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH BUCKET SEATS OR A SPLIT BENCH SEAT IN THE MIDDLE OR BACK ROW. THE SEAT LATCH RELEASE MECHANISMS ON BUCKET SEATS AND ON THE 40% POR… |
| 1998119 9 Jun 1998 | Powertrain THESE VEHICLES MAY NOT COMPLY WITH C.M.V.S.S. 102 - TRANSMISSION SHIFT CONTROL SEQUENCE. VEHICLES MAY HAVE A BROKEN SHIFT CABLE FITTING OR LOOSE SHIFT LINKAGE … |
| 1998066 8 Apr 1998 | Brakes NOTE: VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH TRACTION CONTROL. WHEN THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ARE TURNED ON, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER LINKAGE ARM MAY CONTACT A BRAKE LINE CONNECTED TO… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS EQUIPPED WITH SECOND-ROW BUCKET SEATS OR CAPTAIN'S CHAIRS AND A POWER SLIDING DOOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE, A PASSENGER USING THE INTERIOR HANDLE TO OPEN THE POWER SLIDING DOOR COULD BE INJURED.
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES AND MINI VANS HAVE LOWER PINION BEARINGS IN THE POWER RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY IN WHICH THE RETAINER TABS WERE NOT CRIMPED PROPERLY. THESE AND SOME OTHER RETAINERS USED IN VEHICLES ASSEMBLED BETWEEN JANUARY 1, 1996 AND OCTOBER 31, 1997, COULD FAIL AND PERMIT THE BALL BEARINGS TO ESCAPE.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: 1997-2001 CHEVROLET VENTURE, PONTIAC MONTANA/TRANSPORT, AND OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE MINI VANS EQUIPPED WITH PASSENGER SIDE POWER SLIDING DOORS THAT WERE SERVICED IN CAMPAIGN 01013 (01V-067) FROM APRIL TO AUGUST 2001. ALSO 2001 CHEVROLET VENTURE, PONTIAC MONTANA, AND OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE MINI VANS EQUIPPED WITH PASSENGER SIDE POWER SLIDING DOORS ASSEMBLED IN JANUARY THROUGH APRIL 2001. THESE VEHICLES HAVE INADEQUATE FRONT WELDS. IF A FRONT WELD FAILS, THE ACTUATOR CAN JAM IN THE UNLATCHED POSITION AND, WHEN THE SLIDING DOOR CLOSES, IT WILL NOT BE LATCHED.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MINIVANS EQUIPPED WITH PASSENGER SIDE POWER SLIDING DOORS. THE DOOR CLOSES BUT MAY NOT BE LATCHED. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE POWER SLIDING DOOR CAN OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, PARTICULARLY WHEN THE VEHICLE ASCENDS A HILL, MAKES A TURN, OR TRAVELS OVER A ROUGH ROAD SURFACE.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER MINI VANS EQUIPPED WITH BUCKET SEATS OR A SPLIT BENCH SEAT IN THE SECOND (MIDDLE) OR THIRD (BACK) ROW. THE SEAT LATCH MECHANISMS ON BUCKET SEATS AND ON THE 40% PORTION OF THE SPLIT BENCH SEAT IN THE SECOND AND THIRD ROWS DO NOT HAVE PROTECTIVE COVERS.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MINI VANS. THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE (1) A BROKEN SHIFT CABLE FITTING OR (2) LOOSE SHIFT LINKAGE. CONSEQUENTLY, MOVING THE SHIFT LEVER TO A 'PARK' POSITION MAY NOT SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION TO 'PARK'.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER MINI VANS EQUIPPED WITH TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEMS. THE WINDSHIELD WIPER LINKAGE ARM CAN CONTACT A BRAKE LINE WHICH IS CONNECTED TO THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM MODULATOR VALVE. THIS CONTACT CAN CHAFE THE BRAKE LINE RESULTING IN A BRAKE FLUID LEAK.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Oldsmobile told its dealers about the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 636509 | ISSUE REGARDING EXCESSIVE ROAD NOISE MOST PREVALENT IN THE SLIDING DOOR AREAS, LEFT, RIGHT OR BOTH. *TT |
| 636485 | SUBJECT REGARDING WIND NOISE WHILE DRIVING. *TT |
| 635006 | INFORMATION ON SERVICING 4T65-E TRANSAXLE SPACER PLATE AND GASKETS FOR VARIOUS MODELS FROM 1997 THROUGH 2002. *TT |
| 634997 | INFORMATION ON SERVICING 4T65E TRANSAXLE SPACER PLATE AND GASKETS. *TT |
| 634989 | SUBJECT REGARDING POOR HEAT WITH COLD OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES AT LOW ENGINE RPM. *TT |
| 634985 | CONCERNS WITH SLIPS, HARSH UPSHIFT OR GARAGE SHIFTS, LAUNCH SHUDDERS, FLARES, ERRATIC SHIFTS AND INTERMITTENT CONCERNS, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P1811 OR P0748 SET. *TT |
| 634973 | SUBJECT REGARDING POOR HEAT WITH COLD OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES AT LOW ENGINE RPM. *TT |
| 634708 | SUBJECT REGARDING REVISED LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD INSTALLATION. *TT |
| 634674 | CONCERNS WITH WIND NOISE AT THE BASE OF THE WINDSHIELD. *TT |
| 634619 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE POWER SLIDING DOOR WILL REVERSE ON CLOSING OR THE DOOR WILL APPEAR CLOSED, BUT THE ALARM WILL COME ON WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS MOVED OUT OF PARK. *TT |
| 634513 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THERE IS RUST FORMING AROUND THE FRONT OR REAR PORTION OF THE ROOF. *TT |
| 634510 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT ROAD NOISE CAN BE HEARD COMING FROM THE AREA BEHIND THE FRONT SEATS. *TT |
| 629818 | CUSTOMERS MAY EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS WITH LEAKING HEADLAMPS OR LENSES FALLING OFF. *TT |
| 629666 | SUBJECT REGARDING RECALL 01013 AND 01059 POWER SLIDING DOORS. *TT |
| 628525 | THIS BULLETIN CONTAINS INFORMATION ON VARIOUS WATERLEAK CONDITIONS. *TT |
| 628126 | INFORMATION ON WIND NOISE FROM OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRRORS. *TT |
| 627616 | INFORMATION REGARDING PREMATURE ALUMINUM HOOD CORROSION. *YH |
| 626222 | CUSTOMERS MAY COMPLAIN OF A WATER LEAK AT THE CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD OR FROM THE OVERHEAD CONSOLE. *SLC |
| 624109 | THIS BULLETIN IS BEING ISSUED TO REVISE STEPS 13 AND 15 OF THE EXCESSIVE WHEEL SPEED VARIATION DIAGNOSTIC TABLES (C1225, C1226, C1227, C1228) IN THE ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM SUBSECTION OF THE SERVICE MANUAL. *TT |
| 623799 | SUBJECT REGARDING PROPER FUNCTIONING OF THE CHEST STRAP AND THE INTEGRAL CHILD SEATS. *TT |
| 621224 | ON SOME VEHICLES THE SECOND ROW PASSENGER SEAT BELTS MAY EXPERIENCE A CONDITION WHERE THE SECOND ROW PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT WILL NOT RELEASE. *TT |
| 619370 | OWNERS OF SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH HYDRA-MATIC 3T40, 4T60, 4T60-E OR 4T65-E TRANSAXLES MAY COMMENT ON A GRINDING AND / OR GROWLING NOISE THAT IS NOTICEABLE WHEN STANDING IN PARK ON A HILL OR SLOPE WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING AND THE PARKING BRAKE NOT APPLIED. *TT |
| 619360 | SOME OWNERS MAY COMMENT ON DRIVEABILITY SYMPTONS OF LONG OR HARD STARTS, CHUGGLE, ROUGH IDLE AND LIGHT OR INTERMITTENT MISFIRE DUE TO CLOGGED FUEL INJECTORS. *TT |
| 617725 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT ON POOR HEAT IN THE VEHICLE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AT LOW ENGINE RPM. THIS CONDITION IS MOST PREVALENT AT OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES BELOW 0 DEGREES C (32 DEGREES F). *TT |
| 617646 | BRIEF INFORMATION ON VEHICLES EXHIBITING LEAKY HEADLIGHTS. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
POWER-SLIDING DOOR
REAR AXLE TRAILING ARM FAILURE
REAR AXLE TRAILING ARM FAILURE
SAFETY BELT ASSEMBLY FAILURE
SHOULDER HARNESS CLIP
AIR BAG TEAR DURING DEPLOYMENT
UNEXPECTED OPENING OF SLIDING DOOR
TRACTION CONTROL
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation